Army Wives Season Two Premiere: Discussion Thread

The Army Wives are back. Katherine mentioned that the premiere would be riveting, and she was right, especially the last two minutes. We'll resume our weekly Army Wives discussion threads here at SpouseBUZZ. You'll be able to weigh in right here every Monday. We look forward to reading your reaction to each episode. Our season one discussion threads were interesting, partly because of the varied reactions to each episode.

So, let's get started....

Might as well begin with the shocker - Amanda is dead. Did you see that coming? It looks like Claudia Joy will be tested like she's never been tested before. A bit of a role reversal for her, she's generally the nurturer, and now shes the one who needs to be taken care of. The previews for next week's episode gave us a hint of how difficult this will be for her.

Roxy is going through her first deployment and she's about to learn a lesson fast. Deployment = uncertainty. Luckily, she has friends there to remind her that she can't dwell on that uncertainty. Life goes on. It has to. It appears that through Roxy, viewers will see the roller-coaster ride that is deployment. Ups and downs, highs and lows. Roxy, like all milspouses, will need to figure out how to deal with the uncertainty in a healthy manner. Easier said than done, but, as Pamela told her, "You have to keep it together Rox, otherwise you'll regret it."

Roxy's obsession with watching the news is an interesting topic. Some of us stay glued to the television, and others find it's too upsetting or distracting to watch. Which category do you fall in? When my husband deployed, two incidents occurred near his area not long after he deployed. I was at work when both occurred and had whipped myself into a frenzy imagining the worst. I finally decided that I couldn't spend an entire deployment paralyzed and I canceled my alert for that particular region.

Roxy was guided by Denise and Pamela, spouses who have dealt with deployment before, understood Roxy's behavior and knew what she needed to hear. Roxy just wanted to know that her husband was safe. I'm sure she'll eventually learn that the only time she will know with certainty that Trevor is safe is when she's on the phone, IM or webcam with him. Once a phone call or IM session ends, the big black hole returns until the next call or ping. I think "worry" tends to bubble just beneath the surface for a lot of milspouses and learning how to keep it beneath the surface can be a challenge. As Denise told Roxy, "We don't worry about things that haven't happened yet." Well, most of the time, anyway....

My husband has never left a DVD, but he has left little notes stuffed around the house for me to find after he leaves. Somehow, they always seemed to be found just when I needed them most. But then again, is there a bad time to find a love note from your spouse when he's deployed? We both leave notes for one another. On the night before he leaves, I usually go down to my husband's packed bags and stuff notes and cards in every nook and crannie I can find. I enjoyed the DVD scene because I remembered how comforting it was to find something left by my husband for me. I didn't enjoy the scene where Roxy finds Trevor's shirt. It hit me in the gut because you know how I feel about the post-deployment laundry.....

Roland apologized to Joan for the affair and later Joan stated, in clear terms, that she wants their marriage to work. Anyone care to take a stab at where the Joan/Roland storyline is heading? Of all the relationships between the Army Wives, Joan and Roland's relationship has always been the hardest to predict.

Pamela, who is struggling with guilt because she let Marilyn go without intervening, left us with the line of the night, and the lesson of the night:

Line of the night - The ride must be worth the price of admission.

Lesson of the night - Now is the time to tell those you love that you love them. Always great advice.

Now that the premiere is behind us, I'm looking forward to the twists and turns that await us this season. I'm anxious to see how the characters develop and adapt to the changes in their lives. Should be a fun ride.....

What did you think of the season two premiere?

Comments

[MrsArmyWife]

I was blown away about Amanda being dead. So was the whole scene about her going to college just in her mother's head? I didn't catch on to that until the end of the show.

This is SUCH a good show! Kudos to Lifetime for telling "our" story.

[Bonny]

I have to state the obvious. I cannot believe that Amanda was killed off. I understand that the show needs drama but like that? I cannot even imagine how I would get through something like that.

Roxy is going through a tough time, and is adjusting as well as can be expected. I am just not sure why she could not get a message to him or why he could not get in touch with her. With an incident like a bomb, one would think that some exceptions would be made. Perhaps this was for dramatic effect.

I really wish those FRG scenes would disappear, or at least show it in a better light. I do not care what role FRG plays. No one I know would ever go knocking on a stranger's door, even if they only wanted to offer help or condolences. That is just rude and much too forward.

I cannot wait to see how this season plays out. There are so many ways they could go.

[HomefrontSix]

Ok - now that I've wiped the tears and snot from my face. Good grief! I didn't see that coming. Ugh.

Is the actress that plays Roxy pregnant? She sure looked it in the jammies and the robe and when she was in the black nighty, they had her in shadows. Just curious as to whether my eyes were playing tricks on me.

What a good show (except for the FRG part...grr)! I love how they all came together in their own ways to nudge each other forward.

As for Roland and Joan, I think that their relationship will NOT survive if she does not keep the baby. I don't know many relationships that can survive something like that. I hope it does survive - they make an interesting couple.

My heart aches for Claudia Joy. I think my biggest fear - even beyond that of losing my husband - is something happening to one of my kids. I do not know how someone copes with something like that.

I hope they rebuild the Hump Bar too (heard that mentioned on SBTR in the interview with Kathryn Fugate). I don't see the camaraderie being the same if something like the Hump Bar is missing.

Can't wait until next week! I am *so* hooked.

[liberal army wife]

one caveat - where is Roxy's cell phone! tell me she doesn't have one??? oh, no, folks, you and I know that she would have one. the more realistic would have been her panicking if she left it somewhere. I think Trev and Frank would have called, or someone would have notified them that the plane was delayed/diverted. But then that scene wouldn't have been needed.

LAW

[Butterfly Wife]

I had lots of tears for this episode, too. I think it was letting my guard down now that my husband is home and returning to see some of my battle buddies.

I completely identified with everything that Roxie went through. From my experience, if the soldier is in transit, he is probably not aware of what is going on in some place in Iraq where he has not been yet. So he probably doesn't know that his wife is at home worrying needlessly. So he doesn't call. And if his plane is in Europe, getting in touch with him is probably not going to be possible (plus Roxie was convinced that Trevor was in Iraq). I could have sent my husband 100 emails but if they were in a communication blackout or he was out on missions, he might not be able to get those emails for days. We just need to rely on those words from Denise: The Army will tell you if something has happened.

I would have thought that someone from the FRG could have called Roxie back and told her the information that Joan told her at the end of the show, even if it was nothing more than a message from the rear detachment that unit had not made it into Iraq yet and was still in transit. But then with all the FRG issues, no message from them and an attempt at comfort with cakes from strangers shouldn't surprise me.

Overall, I thought it was a great episode. I can't wait to see what more is to come.

[J]

I thought Roxy was nuts. And as for "we don't worry about things that haven't happened" that's a load of horse hockey. Roxy was goofy to go to Joan's house but she didn't deserve for Joan to say "I'm LTC Burton and your husband's superior officer (or words to that effect) ..." Roxy's not in the Army so what's Joan's rank got to do with it.

On the other hand it was a good idea to show how tough it was for Roxy but it was too over the top for me. Every phone call, every knock at the door was agony for me but I didn't sit around in my jammies and not let my kids go anywhere.

[Army Blogger Wife]

I'm with J, Roxy was too over the top for me. The idea of Joan contemplating an abortion just because she is on the fast track? Makes.me.sick. I don't like that story line a whole heck of a lot.

I did cry when Amanda died, I cried seeing the grief on her dad's face (he's cute too). And there is one line that I need to write a blog on, cause to me it summed up what I feel about this entire ride. Overall it was a great show!

[Amy]

Wow, what a shocker the last two minutes of the show became for me. I was blown away and did not see Amanda dying. I will be interested to see how Claudia Joy deals with this.
The momement Roxy found the shirt brought tears to my eyes, because when ever DH leaves for TDY he sprays his cologne on a shirt for me.
I look forward to next week.

[airforcewife]

LAW - I mentioned the cell phone thing during the episode, too!!!

I tend to snuggle with my husband's leftover clothes when he's gone, so the shirt thing hit me, also.

And I didn't see what was coming about Amanda until she walked off. Threw. Me. For. A. Loop.

One funny thing, though. I was watching the show with AFG as we got ready for bed, and when the DVD scene came on he said, "Melodramatic much?" Then I reminded him about our deployment rituals and he turned a bit red. I think he sees those things as more private than being naked.

[Kori]

Wow, I didn't see that coming, Amanda dying. I watched the encore right after just to make sure I saw what I thought I watched. That is going to be very hard for Claudia Joy.

Were the other casualities...Marilyn, Eddie (BF) & George (her DH)??? They said there were 4.

I hope Betty lives, Roxy & her really need each other. I want them to build the Hump Bar back together.

DH & I both wondered why Roxy didn't have cell phone. I think as a new Army wife, knowing as little as Roxy does, one might act like that.

Joan & Roland, their relationship seems so complicated. It will be interesting to see what happens. I don't think she's going have the baby...maybe miscarriage due to the stress of her new position.

I love this show and can't wait for next week.

P.S. DH wants them to have someone in the military inspect the uniforms. They don't wear PT shirts untucked. DH actually rewinded the guys running to see the shirts again.

[Andi]

I didn't see Amanda dying, either. Before the show aired, I did think Amanda might die, but as the show progressed, I thought she had survived. Until the end, that is.....

As for the FRG folks, I agree with Bonny and Homefront Six, they are portrayed as over-the-top with their suits and their cake plates. It'll be interesting to see how they're portrayed later in the season when we can expect to see scenes from FRG meetings.

Ditto on the cell phone thing - time for Roxy to get one!

[Jan Wesner]

I was speechless after the episode, and that's saying a lot. Then I watched it a second time, and cried during the whole thing.

Never have I seen anything on TV that hit so close to home as the scenes with Roxy. But ... like you guys said ... where the heck is her cell phone? We all know about that ball and chain ...

As for Roland and Joan, I think they'll survive, at least through this season.

I have to give the producers credit for going out on a limb with these story lines, specifically the whole idea of abortion and how hard it is for female officers.

I don't know where the rest of the season will go, but they sure have set the bar high with the premiere!

[Tonya]

Whew! I cried my eyes out through the whole show. I flat out WAILED when I realized Amanda was dead. The show has definitely got me hooked, yet again.

I loved when Roxy found the DVD. I cried so much because of how he loves and supports her. And I could totally relate to her feelings of uncertainty and worry.

Love it. Can't wait for next Sunday!

[Tressa]

I am pretty upset that Amanda died. That shocked me. I wasn't expecting that. I am kind of bummed about it really. I have thought the bombing was kind of over the top, but I understand they need the drama. It will be interesting to see where they take this.

It hit me hard when Roxy found Trevor's shirt. I find myself trying to catch my husband's smell in his clothes after he has left.

Ditto on the FRG stuff.

I also lost it when Amanda's dad was crying while they were trying to revive her. I can't handle a man in tears. It tears me up.

I am excited to see how they are going to take the show. Looking forward to next week.

[Christen]

Yes! The whole time I was watching she looked extremely pregnant. I'm going to have to look that up. They can't possibly work it in to the show, so I'm guessing we're going to see a lot of Roxy behind the couch, or Roxy sitting at the table this season... no cute little outfits!

And what about them replacing Emilynn? There is going to be a breakout for that character this season... maybe a hook up with Jeremy?

[Christen]

Yes! The whole time I was watching she looked extremely pregnant. I'm going to have to look that up. They can't possibly work it in to the show, so I'm guessing we're going to see a lot of Roxy behind the couch, or Roxy sitting at the table this season... no cute little outfits!

And what about them replacing Emilynn? There is going to be a breakout for that character this season... maybe a hook up with Jeremy?

[Christen]

Yes! The whole time I was watching she looked extremely pregnant. I'm going to have to look that up. They can't possibly work it in to the show, so I'm guessing we're going to see a lot of Roxy behind the couch, or Roxy sitting at the table this season... no cute little outfits!

And what about them replacing Emilynn? There is going to be a breakout for that character this season... maybe a hook up with Jeremy?

[Linda]

I'm in agreement with everyone on the shock of Amanda's death...I missed the first few minutes, so I thought perhaps there had been a clue there (then I watched the encore and realized there were no clues there). Other than one ER premiere episode a LONG time ago, I have not cried so much when a new season began.

I thought the person playing Emilynn was different too...thought my mind was playing tricks on me.

I also wondered about what was going on with Roxy...

And I hate to say this, but when they start a new season "picking up where they left off"...they should NOT drastically change character looks (Joan - in the entire first season, she wore her hair short, curly and loose...now all of a sudden it's long, slicked back and in a bun? Drove ME nuts anyway.

Roxy? A bit over the top. Everyone's right on about the cell phone...and hey, call-forwarding works, too.

As for the FRG thing...I'm on the edge about this. Bonny above commented that no one would ever go knocking on a stranger's door. Well, the purpose of FRG's is to keep everyone in touch, and there should be NO strangers in an FRG...while you may not all be best of friends, you'll have at least a working knowledge of people in your FRG. What got me, is that they show up, all dolled up, with their flowers and their cake...and knock and say "It's the FRG"...like some cop (It's the POLICE, open up!). Now... more realistically, they'd send someone who KNEW Roxy a bit...AND...since Denise's hubby is in the same unit, more likely it would have been her. Just my take.

In the end, my biggest issue is the same one I had at the season closer...why the heck did Amanda not get on the cell and CALL someone when she realized something was amiss. Here's she's supposed to be this really smart young lady, yet she sees a man wearing body armor going into a bar and doesn't even THINK to make a call? I just don't get it.

[Penny]

It was a fantastic show!

I didn't see Amanda dying, that was obviously a huge shock and I was definitely crying.. :(

I loved how Trevor left Roxy the CD, Dh did that for me before he left on this last deployment and I got so excited when they showed it :)

I also thought about why Roxy didn't have a cell, but she also said they took her car away (or something??) so maybe she doesn't have the money to get one? Living on Trevor's salary must be hard, especially with her not working. When she kept freaking out about not hearing from Trevor Dh got annoyed but right after they showed Pamela & Denise explaining to her how things work and I'm glad they did b'c I was hoping that they would.

Not sure what's going to happen between Roland & Joan. It looks iffy but maybe something will happen so that she might change her mind and decide to keep the baby?

I agree with what J said and Dh said the same thing. While Joan is Trevor's CO, she shouldn't have spoken to her the way she did.

Overall, it was an incredible episode and I can hardly wait for the next one!

[Desi]

Oh wow. That was an intense season opener. I, like most, was totally shocked to realize that Amanda had died. And I find the whole FRG plotline extremely upsetting. DH just finished a deployment and our FRG was AWESOME. None of us are busybodies and we don't go around in spring suits handing out cakes. We're real women with real lives and we support each other in real ways, such as phone calls or girl's-nights-out, or just getting together for coffee. I like our FRG and our spouse club so I really do not like how they are being portrayed in this series.

Now, the only other thing I took issue with was when Joan pulled rank on Roxy. First of all, Joan doesn't need to pull rank on people not in the military. Second of all, if she was going to give Roxy the info on Trevor anyway what was the point of giving the whole "superior officer" schpiel. I understand that Roxy needs to realize that Joan has a lot on her plate right now as a second in command and perhaps Roxy did need to show Joan more respect due to her rank. However, a good CO would know how to deal with spouses in a much more diplomatic manner.

Still, a good show overall and I'm looking forward to next week :)

[Guard Wife]

I did not see Amanda dying at all and gasped when I realized what was going on...tears. Ugh.

Roxy needs to get a grip. I love her character, but last night I found myself cringing. Just because she has a relationship with Roland (and by default, Joan) does not mean she can march her happy arse to someone's home and demand answers about her husband's whereabouts. No women in my husband's officers' list, but geez-a-lou, even if there were, I doubt I'd "know her like that." How embarrassing for Trevor--if he were to know that. It's like a Mom running onto the football field during a high school game when her son doesn't hop up immediately after a play...and he only has the wind knocked from him & not a broken bone...and she's not a nurse or doctor. Hubs would croak.

I'll be interested to see how this all shakes out this season.

[Guard Wife]

I guess I should add that if I were involved in a horrific event like the bar bombing, I would be off my nut like Roxy too, but I think the impact of that event wore off between the cliffhanger of the finale & the opening salvo of last night's show (at least for me b/c this is just TV) and her frenetic behavior was pretty distracting.

And, yes, she needs a cell phone (what the heck?)and I do believe a message would have made it to Trevor by now.

[Christine]

Just a thought on Roxy's lack of a cell phone - I don't have one, even though DH is deployed. We're trying to save as much money possible for his tuition next year and our house and we're only using his salary to live on (saving mine), and a cell phone didn't make the budget.

You gotta make choices when you're living on a junior enlisted service member's salary! while not the norm, I definitey know of other spouses who decided that cell phones were a luxury that they chose to pass on.

[HomefrontSix]

I don't know about other FRGs but ours doesn't show up on people's doorsteps, unannounced. We call. Oy.

And the knock at the door (the CID guys)...I about died. I knew where that was going as soon as it happened.

With regard to cell phones...our land line was the thing that didn't make the cut. We ran the numbers and the cost of our land line (plus taxes, fees, long distance, call waiting, etc.) ran close to what we pay for our cell phone. So we have no land line. I hear you on the expense and realize that not everyone has one. Ours was a budgetary decision as well as we try to pay off our credit cards and student loans as quickly as possible.

And yes, Roxy was a mess. I would be too if it were my first deployment as a new military spouse and my friends had just been blown up at a bar. I'm sure Joan acted like that because she's a mess inside too - not only did her husband and friends get blown up but it was on HER watch that it happened (as DCG or whatever her position is). If I were her, I'd be a mess inside. That being said, you're right - the FRG or the Rear Detachment commander/staff should have been able to have answered her questions about Trevor's (general) whereabouts, especially given the bombing. They (the FRG/RearD) at least could have told her about the delay and the fact that they were not at their final destination yet.

And ditto to the uniform issues! I yelled at the TV on that one (the PT shirts). I wonder who their advisors are...I'll gladly volunteer! I can nitpick things to DEATH. Maybe the writers/producers will read this and take the suggestions...

[Butterfly Wife]

Well I am glad someone spoke up about cell phones. Thank you, Christine! I just asked my husband if he can recall even one time in 20 months calling me on mine. Nope.

Besides, Roxy's anxiety level was so high, that even if she had a cell phone with her, it wouldn't have mattered. She was so anxious should couldn't do anything else. Some people crawl under the covers, in a bottle, on the Internet. Roxy just yelled at everyone she could think of.

I think Roxy's portrayal is reflective of one way new Army spouses react to a terribly uncertain and frightening situation. Meaning, it was sufficiently realistic and reflective of me and my experiences with other spouses.

[Ramie]

I think Roxy's anxiety is normal, for first timers...it was a little dramatic, but this IS tv.....a cell phone would help, but i know its not the same when my DH calls on my cell. Hard to talk when in the store, with 2 kids in tow, or while driving....

I hope that Joan and Roland survive, and I hope the abortion talk is just talk....I can understand her side, but I think it will crush Roland totally.

Amanda's death shocked me too, and her dad watching them try to revive her was enough to push me over the top. I can't imagine my DH in that situation, he was bad enough when I was in emergency surgery and we lost a baby. I hope that Claudia Joy pulls through this ok....its gonna be an interesting story line.

I too hope the Hump Bar comes back. I think Roxy needs it. I hope Betty pulls through too...Roxy needs her too.
Trevors DVD to Roxy was awesome...SOOOO need to hint to DH abotu that one!

I think the uniform thing may have to do with the fact that non-military cannot protray that they ARE in the military without breaking the law...so maybe they've changed a few little things to be safe.

I'm looking forward to this season.....it looks like its gonna be full of info.

Ohhhh....does Jeremy know that Amanda is dead yet? I think its gonna tear him up.

Ramie

[LTC wife]

This is the way I saw it. The show started with Pamela recapping what had happened. She went back 4 days and Joan said there were 4 casualties, 15 injuries 3 critical. Amanda was not dead at this point, she was one of the critically injured. She really did not die until the end. Her mom saw her off and woke up knowing she was gone. The friends were told she died in the waiting room. Jeremy was there in the shirt he arrived home in. Then Pamela leaves and goes to do the radio show (which is the recap).

I went back and watched it to make sure I got this right, cried again! :(

Roxy DID look pregnant to me too. I wish they would write it in.

You can watch all the episodes of season 1 and the new episode on the lifetime website. Click on the Full episode tab.

[ProudANGWife]

Okay as a National Guard wife who went through some of this, ummm...cell phone issue: I know it's hard to believe but not everyone has a cell phone. My husband was gone for a month when I finally got one. Roxy strikes me as a character that couldn't afford some of life's extras before Trevor came along. I expect a cell phone will be in her future. I remember crumbling like that, jammies, messy house, not letting the kids out of my sight...you suddenly realize you have no control over your life and it scares you. FRG...I can't speak for every FRG in the country, but to be honest, the one for this unit is a bunch of cliques. I found more support from the local AF Base then from my husband's own unit. I know that's not always the case, but that was my experience. And for the drama with the bombing, keep in mind soldiers are dealing with homicidal tendencies quite frequently. Not very far from here a soldier shot his wife and children just 5 months ago. These things are happening and it's tragic. I too hate that Amanda died. I didn't see it coming and couldn't stop the tears. It was almost too real for me. My husband did comment that it looks like they did get someone to work on the uniform appearance, he thought they were wearing the hats better this season than last season. Oh, I have seen many soldiers around here tucking their PT shirts in, especially women. Just my two cents

[tad's tibbit]

I thought this episode really set the bar for the rest of the season.

I thought Roxy showed, perhaps, what a woman not knowing much about the military might go through. Her going to Joan's house seemed to me that she felt she knew Joan, and also knew that Joan should have some sort of answers that she needed. I think that even if it was a bit harshly done, perhaps Joan needed her to realize who she is despite their knowing each other. That, despite friendliness, she is still an officer that should have her respect.

As for Joan and Roland, I wonder if they might decide to keep the baby, and something then happens to lose it. This is a big issue so I'm not really sure where they are going to take it.

Amanda's death was really heartbreaking. I had thought that her and Jeremy's breakup went a little to smoothly, and wondered if something might be up, but didn't forsee anything like this. Watching her father see them working on her and her leaving them I lost it. Claudia Joy is really going to have a hard time with this. She might have looked at what would happen if her husband was killed, but probably never thought about it being her daughter.

If "Roxy" is pregnant, I wonder if they might end up her finding out she is on the show, and maybe her choices/views conflicting with Joan's? Also, perhaps, show how hard it is being away from Trevor at the same time?

My kudos to using Pamela to bring it all out. Despite her guilt, she is on the air trying to help. With her being the only one not at the Hump bar, where is her character going to go in all the drama of everyone else?
I soooo look forward to Sundays show!

[Quenida]

I thought when Roxy was speaking on the phone in the beginning when the "officers" knocked on her door was actually a cell phone... if not its pretty nifty for a house phone.

[Kristen]

Wow, what a great start to the season! Like a few other people here, I very much hope that Joan has her baby. And like a few others, I love to wrap myself in my husband's clothing while he's deployed and I love to find the little messages that he leaves for me. I thought Roxy was a little over the top given how much inner strength she's shown before, but I do know one or two wives who have pretty much collapsed when their husbands were deployed to a combat area.

I think Trevor is adorable, I hope nothing happens to him. Roxy did look a little thicker in the middle, so perhaps that will be written into the story and we'll have two babies in the show this season.

I really enjoyed reading all the comments, and I look forward to next week!